


stuck

by miracle_boi



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Boys In Love, Canon Compliant, Cute, Domestic Fluff, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fluff, Frenemies, High School, M/M, Romantic Fluff, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:08:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28403793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miracle_boi/pseuds/miracle_boi
Summary: Hinata and Kageyama doesn't really get along. First impressions? Nothing good to say at all.Until they got stuck with each other... literally.Where soulmates get stuck with each other for a specific distance when they touch for the first time and it lasts for days.
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio
Comments: 11
Kudos: 148





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LoveGeek15](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoveGeek15/gifts).



> Hello! This is my last commissioned work for the year and probably my last publish as well. Thank you so much @lovegeek15 for commissioning me. ❤ The setting takes place in the very first episode of the anime.

Being soulmates isn't as easy as it sounds. It's not as easy as finding your pair and you get to live happily ever after. Even soulmates break up; even soulmates choose whether to go or stay. They're fated since birth, but that doesn't mean everything's as easy as ABCs.

What happens when you touch your soulmate for the first time and it circulates some kind of magnetic force that keeps you together at a specific distance? And your soulmate happens to be someone you'd rip to shreds?

  
  
  
  


Hinata was more than excited to finally get into the school of his dreams. Ever since he saw that clip of the little giant on a TV store, flying his way in the nationals despite lacking height, Hinata had been driven by that inspiration. First day of school and he sprinted his way to the gyms to finally get a glimpse of the same court his inspiration trained in.

Everything felt amazing, until the first thing that laid upon his sight was  _ him. _

_ "What is he doing here?" _

It was such an unlikely coincidence.

Or  _ unfortunate _ , Hinata would prefer that word, as he stood before the man who beat his team to a pulp back on his first match ever.

Kageyama and Hinata didn't really have a good relationship since their first impressions weren’t quite good as well.

On their last encounter, they vowed to defeat each other.

"I couldn't forget you…"

"You're useless!" was what Kageyama told him first thing.

That's when the non-stop bickering and bantering began to fill the gyms. Being two competitive souls with foul mouths, along with the promise that they will beat each other  _ only _ to turn out being on the same team, the two fought like cats and dogs. They threw insults back and forth as if they were playing volleyball.

It was in the middle of that chaos when their skins came in contact and they both automatically froze when a spark lit inside their bodies, as if electricity struck and crawled right through their spines. Their fight came to a halt and they stood still with both eyes wide open at the startling sensation. There was a brief moment when a circular figure surrounded the two of them, enclosing round their bodies before it completely disappeared.

"What was that?" Hinata said out of shock. They looked at each other, both confused, before Kageyama replied, "I don't know."

_ Was that a hallucination? _

"Did you feel that too?" The orange-haired asked with wide eyes and Kageyama pursed his lips with brows knitted before nodding.

They didn't know what that was, so they shrugged the thought off, thinking it was nothing as they went on with their day. Everything was normal; nothing seemed to feel off and even in class, they had assigned seats next to each other.

Despite getting into each other’s throat every second, they were alongside each other throughout the whole day. That was until Hinata had to go back and get his bag, and at a specific point of distance, some sort of barrier stopped him like there’s a magnetic force pulling him back to Kageyama.

“What are you doing, dumbass?” The dark-haired asked with a deep frown plastered on his face as he looked at Hinata, who suddenly stumbled back.

“What happened?” Hinata muttered, wincing in pain at his lower back that hit the ground, as he found himself on the cold floor. He looked up in front of him to see if he stumbled on something or someone, only to be met by thin air.

He furrowed his eyebrows as he stood back up and stared in front.

Kageyama clicked his tongue, “Hurry up, we have to practice!”

Earlier at the volleyball club, the first thing they were welcomed by was trouble. The club’s captain couldn’t help their behaviors out of hatred for each other, so they were given a compromise that Kageyama won't be playing as a setter unless they win the practice match together against other players. Being both basically obsessed with the sport and having a mindset that losing isn't an option — the only thing they both agree in — they had to practice thoroughly. Unfortunately, as an already skilled player, Kageyama was both worried and furious because Hinata’s basics miserably suck.

Hinata pushed his hands forward into the air; he didn't seem to have problems with that. But when he tried to step forward, he stumbled back again, though this time he kept his balance.

“What the hell are you doing?” Kageyama gritted his teeth as he walked towards Hinata who was acting weird and wasting their precious time. At the same time, Hinata tried to step forward again, and he walked easily because there was no barrier this time.

“Huh?”

_ What was happening? _

He then turned to Kageyama and realized the man was walking over his direction.

“Stop!” Hinata yelled and Kageyama immediately did so out of shock.

“Stay there,” the orange-haired said before he, again, attempted to run towards the opposite direction of where Kageyama was, and just like earlier, he was knocked right back by some sort of an invisible barrier.

Kageyama massaged his temples out of frustration.

“Whatever, I’m leaving you here,” he firmly stated as he turned to his back. However, when he was about to head out, he was halted by the same force.   
  


“What the?” He furrowed his eyebrows.

“Kageyama!!! I think we’re being trapped by a ghost!” Hinata turned pale at the ridiculous idea he just came up with.

“What?”

“I think we’re stuck together! I can’t go anywhere far from you! There’s a weird thing that stops me and so do you!” The smaller boy began to ramble and Kageyama didn’t want to believe him, but just like what Hinata said, he was stopped by a barrier when he attempted to walk away again.

The two being absolutely ignorant beings, entertained their stupidity and decided not to look further into the matter of why they had a barrier. They just went along with it and walked side by side everywhere, even in the comfort room. The bickering didn’t stop, and they still despised each other’s spaces, but they didn’t notice the fact that they were growing closer within a day. Despite hatred lingering around them, they didn’t seem to bother looking for a way to escape each other’s grasp or even try to ask around about it.

They just got accustomed to the other's presence.

_ Do they really hate each other?  _

  
  


The day continued on with them being literally inseparable until the end of classes. They were both worrying about how'd they go home in this state. They probably didn't want to think too much, so they just settled to go to Hinata's to spend the night since his mom and sister sleeps early, unlike Kageyama's household that would probably be more complicated. They also decided to practice Hinata's receiving until dark before leaving to make sure everyone was asleep to sneak in easily.

The day just couldn’t get worse for Kageyama. Hinata lived on the mountains and the boy used a bicycle as transport. Hinata refused to let him ride the bike, thinking the taller would be too heavy, so Kageyama didn’t have a choice but to jog.

Jog his way up on a  _ fucking mountain. _

His stamina could handle it; what he can’t handle is Hinata being such a childish being.

“Slow down, dumbass!” He yelled at the top of his lungs. Hinata giggled as he stepped on the pedals rapidly, because he knew that the further he accelerates, Kageyama will get dragged by the barrier out of his own will. It was torture.

“I’m gonna kick your ass!” Hinata chuckled in response. He was having fun making Kageyama suffer, but he was nice enough to hit the brakes to wait for him.

Kageyama was panting as he glared at the laughing boy. Hinata smiled cheekily and posed a peace sign. The dark-haired only clicked his tongue in reply before continuing to jog ahead. Hinata drove at the same pace as Kageyama this time.

Something about the breeze, the atmosphere, or being up in the mountain gave them serenity. They paced in silence and it was one of the rare moments when they didn’t fight every 3 seconds.

Hinata’s household was warm. They successfully snuck past Hinata’s mom and sister. They simply spent the night there, with Kageyama sleeping on the futon by the floor. The next morning, they woke up just early enough before Hinata’s mom usually does. They went straight to school and the first thing they visited was the gym.

Which was locked.

But an amazing senior, Tanaka, came right in time to save the day.

In the midst of practice, Kageyama was about to reach for the ball rack, but his movements were halted by the soulmate barrier, since Hinata was at a distance stretching on the ground.

Their eyes met glaring at each other, Kageyama sending a signal for the boy to move, but Hinata stuck out his tongue and only scooched over a little.

Not enough for Kageyama to reach the rack.

He had gone frustrated with the barrier. It was hilarious, on Hinata's part, as he couldn't stop giggling.

Tanaka was oblivious to the unusual acts until Kageyama was still irritatedly trying to reach the ball rack, so Hinata finally went closer, resulting in the barrier extending Kageyama's reach. The force he used towards the barrier out of frustration caused him to lose balance and accidentally push the rack over. The loud sound echoed throughout the gym and the balls rolled all over the place.

"Why did you knock it over?" Tanaka looked at him questioningly.

"I didn't, I just slipped," Kageyama replied, before sending death threats to his hysterically laughing soulmate through his eyes.

Up until now, they were still unaware that being soulmates is what binds them to this barrier.

_ Obliviousness? No, plainly stupidity. _

After they picked up the balls, Kageyama and Hinata began to throw hands at each other while yelling out insults. Sugawara arrived right in the middle of their childish fight. He offered to help Hinata with his receives which snapped their focus back to volleyball because  _ finally _ there was someone who would willingly endure the pain of helping Hinata out with his poor receives.

Just when the orange-head was about to follow Sugawara, he was stopped by the barrier, so he craned his neck towards Kageyama. Kageyama sighed and rolled his eyes as he had no choice but to follow.

Suga turned to him and asked, "Need something, Kageyama-kun?" Kageyama shook his head.

"I just wanna watch him suffer."

"Okay?"

Kageyama practiced setting to Tanaka in the meantime while Hinata and Suga were practicing receiving behind him. It felt a bit foreign for Kageyama since it's been a while since he set for someone, and the fact that he had to remain close to Hinata near the net made it more difficult. But it didn't take long for them to get in the groove smoothly, until Hinata's attention shifted towards Tanaka's spike.

"Don't look away!" Sugawara scolded once the ball hit Hinata's head. He was ignored when the latter suddenly exclaimed, "I want to spike, throw me a toss!"

"Just one toss, okay?" Hinata smiled in persistence, trying to convince the setter to toss to him.

Kageyama darted his eyes at him.

"No," he firmly replied, crushing all of Hinata's hopes and dreams.

"Don't be so mean!"

The setter suddenly spiked the ball in Hinata's direction which he barely received, so he was lectured that a toss needs a good receive.

"Will you toss to me once my receiving satisfies you?"

"I'll toss to anyone I need to win… Right now, I don't need you."

Practice ended and the atmosphere between them became awkward throughout the whole day. Hinata still needed to train, so he met up with Sugawara, with Kageyama in tow.

"Hinata-kun? Oh— and Kageyama? What are you doing here?"

"I just want to watch him suffer." Hinata glared at him.

"Okay?"

Kageyama sat in the back, sipping a carton of milk on his hand as he watched and listened when they began to chat as if Kageyama wasn't there. Sugawara was amused by Hinata's enthusiasm for the sport and how he told the story about how he used to practice in the past.

"Although I had good friends, I never had a teammate." Kageyama heard Hinata say.

It was why he's so excited about spiking a toss from a teammate. But then he felt dejected, recalling how he finally met a setter, only for him to do nothing but insult his whole existence. Hinata also explained his drive to defeat Kageyama.

"A formidable opponent can become a formidable ally," was what Suga said.

They both heard and the sentence stuck in their minds, like how they're stuck with each other.

  
  
  
  


Classes came to an end and the two still practiced. It was a bit difficult since they were banned from using the gym, but they got the hang of it. It was already dark and they were still practicing when they suddenly stumbled upon who seemed to be their future opponents: Tsukishima and Yamaguchi, the other first years in the club. The blonde began to taunt them, trying to crawl his way into their nerves by using his words.

It worked especially for Kageyama once Tsukishima mocked him for being a "King" and about what happened in his last match.

"Your team was really patient to put up with a setter like you… I know I couldn't," Tsukishima smirked.

"Ah… It happened because they couldn't either." Kageyama's temper was exceeding the bars; he couldn't take it anymore, so he grabbed Tsukishima by his collar and the blonde only looked at him with a mocking smile.

Kageyama glared at him, but he let go and walked away not long after.

"Hey, we're not finished yet," Hinata walked over Kageyama and dragged the boy back next to him. The orange-haired turned to Tsukishima who was tossing the ball upwards while talking about beating Kageyama in the practice match.

Hinata frowned, hearing Tsukishima's smug remarks was quite unpleasant despite the fact that he isn't that cozy with Kageyama either. He glanced at Kageyama, making sure he was close enough for the barrier before he sprinted and sprung his feet up in the air, catching the ball Tsukishima tossed at such height. The surprising act caught them all off-guard as silence followed.

_ "Don't forget about me." _


	2. two

Tonight, they settled on spending the night in Kageyama's house. It was a bit more difficult sneaking in, but they succeeded. Kageyama sighed in relief once he finally got to dress in his own comfortable clothes because, apparently, even the largest pair of clothing Hinata owned was tight on him. Kageyama offered the same amount of hospitality as he gave the boy a spare of his clothes and laid out the futon for him.

What made him feel the opposite of relief was when Hinata came into his room wearing his clothes.

_Hinata looked adorable._

Kageyama slowly turned deep red the longer he stared at the boy. The shirt was hanging loosely by his shoulder and Hinata had a light shade of pink in his cheek due to exhaustion.

It must be due to his startling act of courage earlier, but Hinata had suddenly seemed less annoying in his sight.

The thought sort of frightened him.

"You've been staring at me for 73 seconds." Hinata yawned, which didn't help because he simply looked cuter.

"G-go to sleep, idiot!" Kageyama snapped, looking away in embarrassment.

He was currently battling himself deep inside because he kept on rejecting the fact that he found Hinata cute when in fact, he did.

Kageyama continued to get eaten by his in-denial self while replaying the way Hinata yawned like an adorable cat at the same time.

No, he didn't just compare him to an adorable cat.

"Goodnight," Hinata mumbled before drifting fast asleep.

Kageyama was left wide awake as he laid on his bed. His mind was running non-stop, recounting admirable things he found out about Hinata today. He still didn't want to admit but he was too tired to deny.

_Hinata being extremely passionate._

_Hinata's hardworking nature._

_His courage when he stepped up to Tsukishima just moments ago._

_His beautiful hazel eyes, the way his orange hair curled nicely, his smile that was painfully bright._

Kageyama couldn't even glance at the floor where the boy was sleeping; he didn't want to make his thoughts even worse than they already are. He didn't even want to acknowledge it, but here he is, getting all flustered with his own thoughts.

It was probably already midnight when he shifted to his side, his eyes falling on Hinata sleeping on the floor. He drifted to sleep in peace with his head filled with one same boy as if he was Kageyama's favorite bedtime story.

Morning came and as expected, Kageyama was a complete zombie. He barely slept but he did all his might to not recall his newly discovered "admiration" last night, so he focuses on his morning routines and getting ready. It didn't help when Hinata came out of the bathroom, scratching his eye using the back of his hand and still half asleep.

It especially didn't help when Kageyama realized that the orange-head was already wearing the smallest clothing he owned, but he still had the hem tied to the front because it was too long.

Kageyama's eyes widened and in an instant he was a fresh tomato. He almost dropped the cup he was holding as he looked away.

"G-get dressed, dumbass!"

Hinata yawned while stretching his limbs, "Jeez, even your grumpiness shows in the morning," he stated before sticking out his tongue at the taller.

The two of them got ready for school in silence. As they headed out of the room, Hinata suddenly grabbed Kageyama's arm.

"What's up with you, anyway? You've been acting weird since we woke up together."

_Together?_

Kageyama had to register that word into his head.

"Nothing, couldn't sleep."

"You're not gonna go easy on me just 'cause you're tired, right?" Hinata said with a challenging smile plastered on his face.

"Not a chance," Kageyama replied, returning the same look.

  
  


On their way to school, Kageyama convinced himself that he'll disregard all of his weird thoughts about Hinata. He was determined that Hinata was nothing more than the stupid boy he's stuck with.

Definitely not someone he thought was cute.

Until Hinata asked him a question that's exactly what he's been avoiding while they were waiting for Tanaka to arrive for their secret morning training.

"What kept you up last night, anyway?"

Fuck.

Kageyama wanted to just walk away but he managed to put up a front as he replied, "The barrier. It's been annoying and a hindrance to our practice."

"It is annoying! I don't even know what this is!" Hinata huffed, recalling all the difficult moments the barrier has caused them. They even had to shower together.

That was when they realized the barrier's mysterious existence. They looked at each other with wide eyes.

"Hold on… Why do we even have it?! What is this?!" Hinata exclaimed.

"I don't know! I never thought of it until now…" Kageyama replied as questions piled into his head.

"We should find out what this is and how to turn it off," the orange-haired suggested and Kageyama nodded in agreement.

They shouldn't just let it be like this, anyway.

"The library, maybe?" Kageyama said, tilting his head to think of ideas.

"Yea, that sounds good."

Hinata stood up from sitting on the stairs by the gym doors and helped Kageyama up, who surprisingly accepted his offer easily with no remarks. But they realized it's too early for that so they decided to go after practice.

Which they completely forgot once volleyball came to their focus. The day went smoothly even during and after training. They both seemed to have grown accustomed to the barrier. Although the endless bickering and unlimited exchange of insults didn't disappear, everything was going well. It was fun, Hinata's existence by his side became somewhat a norm.

_Wait… Norm?_

Kageyama immediately brushed the thought off.

Lunch time came and Sugawara was once again present to save Hinata's abysmal, yet improving receives. It was raining so they were situated at the roofed halls.

"...and if you weren't so distracted all the time, maybe you would've dug it up properly!" Kageyama started his usual harsh but constructive words.

"Excuse me, what? You're the one who's been distracted since earlier so I don't think you have the grounds to say that," Hinata fought back, and it was enough to shut the boy up.

Kageyama got flustered for a short while, but he concealed it by glaring at Hinata and clicking his tongue before walking away and tossing to the wall. He's been doing that a lot today, walking away every few arguments. Hinata thought it was fine, as he ignored him and continued his own practice.

He just had to deal with this until the game with the other members that'll decide if Kageyama can play as a setter or not. Everything should be fine once they win.

That was what Hinata thought, completely forgetting the fact that he's still stuck with Kageyama.


	3. three

The comforting breeze of fresh air tickled Hinata's cheeks while riding his bicycle up by the hills towards his house. He took a brief inhale and smiled softly once the calmness came running throughout his whole body. It was so relaxing, until he hit his barrier and suddenly hit the brakes. It felt unusual for them to hit the barrier since they were always together.

He craned his neck behind to see Kageyama brooding from afar.

"Hey, King! Are you tired?!" Hinata teased him.

"Shut up."

Kageyama wasn't tired, he was just thinking a lot and distracting himself. Thankfully, he got over his thoughts about Hinata earlier in the morning so it was better this way. Everything felt natural now: they talked about volleyball, argued and did homework together. It was nice. Warmth spread in Hinata's chest as they went to bed and he unconsciously watched Kageyama sleep below him.

_ He must've been really tired _ .

  
  
  


"So you're soulmates?" was the first thing Sugawara said in their usual secret morning practice. Hinata and Kageyama, who were currently beating each other up at that moment, both froze and turned to their senior.

“What?” They said in sync.

“Soulmates? Did you not know about them?” Sugawara asked, raising a brow.

Kageyama and Hinata stood properly from their fighting positions and looked at each other cluelessly, only responding with a shrug and silence.

“Literally, volleyball is the only thing that runs in your brains huh?” The silver-haired said as he shook his head in disappointment, but he wasn’t surprised.

“Why did you think we were soulmates?” Kageyama asked.

“Well, for starters you didn’t make it hard to notice. And I kind of had an experience. Hearing you talk about space and barriers was enough to confirm,” Sugawara answered while he was tying his shoelaces. 

“I heard about it and all I know is that it was rare for you to meet yours in a lifetime so I didn’t know it was  _ this. _ ”

“Wait wait— you were soulmates? And you had no idea?” Tanaka entered the conversation out of disbelief.

The pair in question once again, simply glanced at each other and shrugged.

“More like they didn’t bother knowing,” Sugawara added as he chuckled.

“Seriously?” Tanaka eyed the two who were just as surprised.

Kageyama and Hinata both had a hard time processing the newfound information so they ended up with a lot of questions.

“So Suga-san had a soulmate too? Who was it?”

“How long does it last? Is it gonna disappear?”

“Do we need to do anything?”

“Whoa, hold on with the questions…” Suga scratched the back of his head.

“Uhm, yes I do have one and it’s Daichi…” He stated with a warm smile and a light shade of pink on his cheeks. Of course he received a few surprised side remarks after that statement.

“...Ours was gone within 2-3 days. I’m not completely sure but I think you just have to fully accept that you’re soulmates,” Sugawara explained while the two first years were in deep thought.

Kageyama immediately faced the orange-haired before saying “I accept you.”

On cue, Tanaka cackled out loud from behind.

“Oh, I have no choice so me too,” Hinata replied, by now Tanaka was already on the floor dying of laughter.

Sugawara sighed, exasperated by the two.

“You have to sort out the feelings the two of you manifested after being stuck for days. Build a connection and decide whether you could be romantic or just platonic,” he added, hoping it was broad enough for the two’s understanding.

“Platonic?” Kageyama tilted his head at the unfamiliar word?

“Like a planet?” Hinata asked, also confused.

Sugawara facepalmed. Their stupidity almost physically pains him.

"Platonic means being soulmates but as friends."

"Ooohhh…" They said in sync, nodding in understanding.

"Just— just talk to each other. You need to, without all the chaos and fighting or you won't get over the barrier soon… You might even lose the game tomorrow."

The atmosphere became awkward since that conversation with Sugawara. Their heads were in the clouds, lingering around thoughts after thoughts. Hinata couldn't recall the last time he used his brain this much; he wasn't even like this on tests. He's  _ trying  _ to sort out what he really thinks about Kageyama asides from negative adjectives.

_ Surprisingly, he had a lot in mind. _

The dude with a foul mouth, sometimes an asshole and short-tempered. That part of Kageyama was easy to admit.

A man with commitment, perfectly skilled and even if he'd deny it, he's caring in his own way. Hinata wanted to deny it but it's probably not the right time to let pride win.

They were currently situated in Kageyama's place again, this time their parents knew so no one had to sneak in. Hinata also came prepared with a packed change of clothes. The two were sitting on the floor. 

He was about to let out his thoughts when Kageyama started just as he was about to.

"I— oh…" They muttered at the same time.

Hinata looked away, a bit flustered while rubbing the back of his head.

"I'll start or we won't get anywhere," Kageyama said, taking a deep breath.

"Okay…"

"You're an annoying person that I have no choice but to deal with so I can be a setter in the team. Being stuck with you for the past four days, you're still annoying," Kageyama started.

At this point Hinata was giving all his might not to smack Kageyama in the head.

"I guess not in a terrible way… Unlike the first day we met. I didn't know if you had any skills to play, if you were just as determined as I am or if you could keep up with me. I didn't know your favorite food, favorite place to eat, favorite color or whatever small detail about you. I didn't know you had a sister and you live on the other side of the mountain." Kageyama paused, thinking of how he'd continue.

"Does knowing stuff about me annoy you?" Hinata asked, puffing his cheeks.

"No, not really. It's annoying how easy it is to know you. I've never been close enough with anyone to know stuff about them like this or them to know about me."

"Oh…" Hinata slightly nodded in comprehending.

Kageyama sat up straight and looked straight into Hinata's hazel brown eyes.

"Hinata, you're really stupid and there's not a lot about you but I consider you as a partner for now but constantly my greatest rival at the same time. I'm not gonna lose to you." The dark-haired boy added, finally concluding his thoughts.

_ Although he did skip the part where he thought Hinata was cute. _

Hinata smiled and chuckled. Hearing Kageyama's thoughts made it easier for him to organize his own so he began to speak with confidence.

"You're the biggest jerk I've ever met, Kageyama. You're socially awkward and you're mean by default even if you didn't mean to. Since we got stuck, I know almost too much about you; like you said, your favorite drink and even the food your mom makes. I know how clean your room is and I definitely know how much you like volleyball," Hinata spoke with his lips curving up into a small smile. Kageyama listened to him intently, he wasn't going to deny the fact that he's happy.

"You're even so good at it, it's unfair. I'm nowhere as good as you but I have no plans on backing out. I'll receive and hit every ball thrown my way. You're annoying but I kind of think it makes sense that we're soulmates, we share a lot of things we both love."

The soulmates were now smiling at each other after hearing out both sides. It was one of the rare moments where they aren't on each other's throats or arguing about the simplest things. It was a perfect moment.

"I'm not just your soulmate. I'm your biggest rival and your greatest ally," Hinata added, in conclusion of his speech.

Kageyama processed everything he heard into his thoughts. He sees the confidence in Hinata's eyes and the smug smile on his lips. He had a great feeling about this.

He extended an arm and put out his fist across Hinata. Hinata glanced at his hand before his smile grew wider, heart filled with triumph as he bumps his fist against Kageyama's. That night they both barely slept, they were too spiked up for tomorrow's morning practice. The worry of whether the barrier has disappeared or still intact has been neglected.

The following day, they were up before the alarm went off. They traveled together to school and straight to practice. They didn't notice their barrier expanding nor did they care. They remained oblivious about their surroundings even on Tanaka and Sugawara's arrival. At that exact moment, Kageyama accidentally tossed too far but Hinata continued to run after it, the barrier extending as he received the ball. The ball bounces back to Kageyama's direction. He positioned his arms up into a setting pose and Hinata's eyes lit up in an instant.

Hinata came running towards the net, the barrier suddenly becoming more physically visible to the two of them as he got closer. When Kageyama set the ball, Hinata bent down to contain the right force onto his feet before he pushed all his weight upwards as he flew. His palm  _ finally  _ meets with the ball at the perfect timing, spiking it across the net. The visible barrier also shattered into pieces at the same time, they witnessed as the small particles of what used to bind them slowly disappeared.

That familiar sting on his palm remained lingering as he fell back down on his feet.

He was at complete bliss.

Kageyama looks over Hinata and their eyes meet.

"We're going to win tomorrow." Kageyama said and Hinata didn't miss the small smile on his lips. Hinata smiled back, the confidence in his voice contagious.

Even without the barrier, they stayed side by side. Teammates, opponents and friends, always together as an inseparable bond.

  
  
  
  
  


"Hey there, soulmate." Shouyou called out with a smug grin evident on his face while walking towards the dark-haired boy.

Tobio just turned to him with an unamused expression, folding his arms against his chest.

"That marks 1,096 wins for me." The orange-head proudly stated the number of wins he collected against Kageyama since highschool.

MSBY and Adlers had just finished their game and it concluded with Shouyou's team winning against his soulmate's.

"I'm still up with four wins, you're not gonna catch up." Tobio replied, his expression softening up as Shouyou got closer.

"Shouldn't it be 1,097 'cause I won your heart?" Shouyou teased, making the both share a laugh.

Tobio's arms automatically snaked around the smaller boy's waist, already familiar and accustomed to it. At the same time Shouyou crawled his own arms around Tobio's neck.

"You're so dumb," Tobio remarked while they were still chuckling, noses touching and faces kept in close proximity like magnets. Tobio's impatience couldn't take it anymore so he leaned in and their lips finally met.

Lips that both have the other memorized, every bit and every movement. They kissed comfortably and unbothered by displaying affection in public because everyone had probably become used to it. Tobio pulled the boy's waist closer, overflowing with love despite just losing an official match.

He couldn't help it.

He was disappointed but he's also proud of his soulmate, now husband, Shouyou.

Like the words they exchanged when they were young, every vow came true. Now, Hinata didn't know just his favorites, but even the things he dislikes and the flaws no one else knew about. Being soulmates had nothing to do with their love: it just gave them a good head start to a blooming relationship.

"Congratulations, dumbass," Tobio whispered, pecking on his husband's nose.

"I told you, I'd beat you," Shouyou replied, resting his head on Tobio's chest.

"I never doubted that." Tobio kissed his forehead. He was far from done with being affectionate. His young self from years before would probably faint in disbelief of how much of a softie he turned out now.

Shouyou pulled away and put a bit of space between them before extending his fist out to his beloved. Tobio glanced at him knowingly before bumping their fists together.

There were no barriers anymore.

Still, they remained bound together, but now, with  _ golden bands. _

  
  



End file.
